Why holding your pee in at festivals is damaging and how to avoid it

Many women are familiar with the uncomfortable feeling of desperately needing to use the loo at a festival but not being able to due to long queues, dirty bathrooms or even not wanting to lose your spot in the crowd.

But did you know that holding in a wee could damage your pelvic floor?

And not just that, but ignoring your bladder for too long can also cause uncomfortable dryness (urogenital atrophy) and incontinence – where you pass urine without meaning to.

Here’s why you shouldn’t skip the festival toilets and some helpful solutions to help you enjoy the festival fun without any toilet-related issues…

What’s the damage?

Holding in your wee too often can cause the muscles in your bladder to lose the ability to contract when you need them to, leading to urinary retention where you can’t empty your bladder – even when you’re bursting to go.

There are several tell-tale signs that might indicate your pelvic floor isn’t in peak health. These include leaking during a cough, a sneeze or exercise or constantly feeling the need to wee.

You may also notice pain in your pelvic area or pain during sex. Constipation or a straining pain during your bowel movements may also mean that your pelvic floor is weak.

What you can do to avoid further complications

Quick solutions

1. Spending hours listening to your favourite artists is often accompanied by having a drink or two. However, it might be easy to forget how much you have had to drink and, before you know it, you’re desperately looking for the closest loo.

Unfortunately, alcohol acts as a diuretic that increases water loss through your urine. Not only that, but alcohol can also irritate the bladder, which can make overactive bladder symptoms worse.

If you’ve noticed that you need the loo more and more, consider cutting back on the number of drinks you have or set a limit at which you know you feel comfortable.

2. While it can be tricky to find a toilet nearby when you’re at a festival, you may consider an alternative solution, like a portable urination device. These urination devices mean you can find a quiet spot and go when nature calls without needing to wait in a long queue.

3. Your pelvic floor muscles are at their weakest toward the end of your period due to lower oestrogen levels, which may make it feel like you need to visit the bathroom more often.

Don’t let your period get in the way of having fun during a music festival. Make sure you’re well prepared.

Swapping your pad or tampon for a menstrual cup will hold five times more blood and hygienically last for up to 12 hours.

4. Of course, vaginal hygiene is crucial, so even if you’re staying in a muddy field, you’ll want to ensure that you have wet wipes or cotton pads and water to hand for a quick wash that keeps bacteria at bay.

Not cleaning your vagina could result in bacterial vaginosis, which increases the chance of developing a urinary infection – that makes you need to pee more and can be irritating or even painful.

5. Keep a plastic resealable bag with you, filled with your hygiene products for when you need to use the loo. A resealable bag is also ideal for keeping your period products contained without any leakage until you can dispose of them properly.

Long-term solutions

A weak pelvic floor can make it feel like you always need to go. If your pelvic floor muscles are too weak, you will find it difficult to hold urine. If you’re waiting in long lines at festivals, this can be particularly stressful.

Strengthening these muscles over time can ensure you don’t constantly feel the urge to go.

Add manual Kegel exercises to your daily routine to strengthen your pelvic floor. To start seeing results, you’ll need to contract and relax your pelvic muscles three times a day for at least six weeks.

And if you’re struggling to do manual Kegels correctly, try an electronic pelvic toner. This device acts as a sat-nav for your pelvic floor muscles by sending small, painless electrical currents directly to them, helping you to contract, release and reach 90 percent of your pelvic floor muscles.

As your pelvic floor muscles are critical for supporting the bladder, strengthening them will help avoid leakage and improve bladder control so that you feel more in control of your urge to pee at the next music festival.